THE NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY REGARDING SREBRENICA

Belgrade, 30 May 2005

05/31/2005

Belgrade, 30 May 2005. The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), which brings together human rights groups from over 40 countries, is calling on Serbian authorities to acknowledge the reponsibility of Serb forces(1)in the genocide in Srebrenica.

The massacre of about 8,000 Bosniaks took place on July 11-19, 1995. As the 10th anniversary of this tragedy approaches, neither Prime Minister Kostunica, nor the president of the Parliament, nor any representatives of the government, has spoken to the public or the international community to recognize the crimes committed by Serb forces and apologize to the families of the victims.

On the contrary there is a denial, and worse. For example, members of the Law Faculty of Belgrade University glorified the crimes at Srebrenica, calling them "liberation".

The dignity and the future of the Serbian people are not served by leaders who fail to help the society face the truth about war crimes. The IHF urges the government to adopt the Declaration on Srebrenica drafted by eight civil society organisations and to take part in the commemoration in Srebrenica on July 11.

Furthermore, the arrest of indicted war criminals, including General Ratko Mladic, is necessary in order to create conditions for normalisation in the region.

(1) These comprise the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), the Yugoslav Army (VJ), the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS), local Territorial Defence (TO)units, local and Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP)police units and paramilitary groups.

For more information, please contact:

Aaron Rhodes, IHF Executive Director

+43 1 408 88 22

HCHRS